Luton chairman David Wilkinson urged patience from fans before Saturday’s furious reaction, saying that football progress has been hampered by the ‘nonsensical delays’ caused by Capital and Regional over Newlands Park.
Despite the historic news last Monday that the final legal stumbling block had been navigated, virtually paving the way for a new stadium at Power Court, the mood in Kenilworth Road turned sour after Town lost 2-1 to Birmingham City.
Boos were aimed at manager Graeme Jones and there was an angry altercation between a small number of supporters and the Board, as the bottom-of-the-Championship side lost a sixth league game in seven.
But prior to kick-off Wilkinson had penned a column for the club’s match-day programme, in which he examined a remarkable decade for the 2020 Board and the club.
‘We as a Board are proud of what we have achieved over the past decade. We are Luton Town so we can’t expect and easy ride all the time, and I for one wouldn’t want one,’ he wrote, adding: ‘Gary (Sweet) asked for patience regarding the stadium and associated developments and I, on behalf of the Board, ask the same for football.
‘We are all fans, mostly Lutonians, and the club is deeply embedded in our hearts. We are not short-term players and have gained some valuable experience over the past 11 years making us one of the most experienced operational boards in football.
‘We will get where we want to be, but maybe not as quick as some may hope for because of the nonsensical delays to planning permissions caused by Capital and Regional, amongst other things out of our control.
‘”No great thing is suddenly created” – Epictetus.’
